Review: Shimano Deore XT PD-M8100 SPD Pedals

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Shimano Deore XT PD-M8100 SPD pedals

• by Mat Brett

UPDATED Mon, Sep 22, 2025 16:43

First Published: Apr 26, 2020

3 £99.99

VERDICT:

8/ 10 Lightweight and durable SPD pedals that are as good for gravel as they are for mountain biking

Lightweight

Durable bearings requiring little maintenance

Double sided

Other Shimano options are better value

Weight: 340g Contact: www.freewheel.co.uk How we test

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Shimano Deore XT PD-M8100 SPD pedals are a durable, lightweight choice, as suitable for gravel riding as they are for cross-country mountain biking.

Mountain bike pedals on road.cc? We asked Shimano’s UK distributor which pedals they’d recommend for gravel riding and they suggested these (along with the PD-M540 SPD pedals we reviewed a few weeks ago), although the gravel-specific GRX groupset contains PD-M530 dual-sided pedals (£44.99) and PD-ES600 (£69.99) with a single-sided binding. In truth, all of these do a great job.

The Deore XT PD-M8100 pedals, which I’m calling M8100 pedals from now on, offer a slightly wider platform than the 540s – we measured them at 59mm x 43mm – for a little extra stability, although in many other ways they’re similar.

The axle is made of tough chromoly steel while the pedal body is forged aluminium alloy. I’ve been using these pedals for two months and there are a couple of faint scratches to the anodised finish, presumably caused by stones that have got stuck in the tread of my shoes, but that’s about it.

There’s a slight amount of wear to the body cover too. Actually, that’s harsh. It’s more that you can see that the pedals have been used rather than that there’s a significant amount of wear. Even if the body cover does wear excessively, which would be ages down the line, it is replaceable.

> SPD-SL v SPD: how to choose the best clipless pedals

The M8100 pedals have a cleat retention mechanism on both sides. The second binding adds a little weight over a single-sided pedal – our M8100 pedals weighed 340g versus a claimed weight of 279g for the single-sided PD-ES600 pedals mentioned above – but there’s no danger of the pedal being the wrong way up because there is no wrong way up. I find a double-sided pedal that little bit easier when you don’t want to take your eyes off the track/trail ahead, but that’s a matter of choice.

> Buyer’s Guide: 7 of the best high-performance lightweight clipless pedals

Engagement is simple once you get your eye in, and it’s easy to adjust the release tension with a 3mm hex key. Little clicks as you do so allow you to equalise the cleat-holding force between the two different sides and left/right. The adjustment bolt that winds in one end of the coil spring has a very deep head so you should never round it out.

One of the best features of the M8100 pedals – and many others in the Shimano line-up – is that you rarely need to worry about the internals. If/when you do need to open them up for re-greasing – which requires just a 17mm wrench – you’ll find miles of thread between the bearing and the outside world.

I’ve been using the M8100 pedals mostly on gravel but also on the occasional stretch of muddy trail, and gloop tends to clear quickly. Any mud that gets onto the cleat retention mechanism usually gets pushed through and out the other side when you stamp your foot in place. I’ve certainly never got them gummed up in use. It could happen, as it could with any pedals, but it’s going to be a rare occurrence here because there’s so little for mud to stick on.

You could easily use these pedals for other types of riding too, of course. Many people like SPDs and shoes with recessed cleats for commuting and other urban use, and these would be well up to the job.

> Buyer’s Guide: 11 of the best clipless pedals

The M8100’s biggest rival among the pedals that we’ve reviewed recently on road.cc is Shimano’s M540, which is cheaper at £62.99. In truth, there’s very little between them in terms of performance, although the M8100 has a slightly wider platform, it’s very slightly slimmer, and it’s about 12g lighter (according to our scales).

The M8100 pedals are super-durable, lightweight and they shed mud well. They’ll likely last an age with minimal maintenance although there are better value SPD pedals in Shimano’s range.

Verdict

Lightweight and durable SPD pedals that are as good for gravel as they are for mountain biking

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Shimano Deore XT PD-M8100 SPD pedals

Size tested: One

Tell us what the product is for and who it’s aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

The PD-M8100 is designed as a cross-country mountain bike pedal.

Shimano lists these features:

* Large pedal platform

* Lower platform height for pedalling stability

* Robust retention claws provide smooth engagement and release

* Customise the entry and release tension settings

* Strong, durable chrome-moly spindle with 8mm hex wrench mount

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

Shimano lists:

Binding: Dual sided

Pedal axle material: Chromoly steel

Pedal body: anodised aluminium

Cleat retention adjuster

SM-SH51 cleats and 1mm cleat spacers included

Rate the product for quality of construction: 8/10 Rate the product for performance: 8/10 Rate the product for durability: 9/10

They’re strong pedals with well-protected bearings. They’ll likely last an age.

Rate the product for weight (if applicable) 8/10 Rate the product for value: 6/10

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Entry/exit is easy, they feel stable in use and they shed mud well. It’s a really strong all-round package.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

High-quality build, well-protected bearings.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Not a lot although, as is often the case, you get slightly better value at lower price points in Shimano’s range.

How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?

The M8100’s biggest rival among the pedals that we’ve reviewed recently is Shimano’s M540, which is cheaper at £62.99. There’s not much to choose between them in terms of performance, although the M8100 has a slightly wider platform, it’s very slightly slimmer, and it’s a little lighter.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? I would.

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your overall score

These are popular pedals for a reason: they do the job really well. They’re a comfortable 8.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 48 Height: 190cm Weight: 80kg

I usually ride: My best bike is:

I’ve been riding for: Over 20 years I ride: Most days I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: commuting, club rides, sportives, general fitness riding,

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• Shimano, Shimano 2020, Shimano Deore XT PD-M8100 SPD pedals, Shimano Deore XT PD-M8100 SPD pedals 2020

Mat Brett

Mat has been in cycling media since 1996, on titles including BikeRadar, Total Bike, Total Mountain Bike, What Mountain Bike and Mountain Biking UK, and he has been editor of 220 Triathlon and Cycling Plus. Mat has been road.cc technical editor for over a decade, testing bikes, fettling the latest kit, and trying out the most up-to-the-minute clothing. He has won his category in Ironman UK 70.3 and finished on the podium in both marathons he has run. Mat is a Cambridge graduate who did a post-grad in magazine journalism, and he is a winner of the Cycling Media Award for Specialist Online Writer. Now over 50, he’s riding road and gravel bikes most days for fun and fitness rather than training for competitions.

3 Comments

Threaded Oldest First Newest First Best Rated

3 thoughts on “Shimano Deore XT PD-M8100 SPD pedals”

1. They do spin lovely and I

   They do spin lovely and I have a pair…..I had two. I would say take a look at your current SPD and if you have any damage, clipped a corner etc, buy the 540spds. The Ti axles (i have found) dont take the same level of abuse as the cheaper and not really much lighter XTspds. I have 540s for 10 years. If i treat myself to XT spds, I expect a season racing only.

2. After 4 years with my old 520

   After 4 years with my old 520’s I upgraded to these a few months ago and I must say that they work lovely I defently noticed the bigger contact point, they also look more mtb than the m520’s, so that’s cool to!

3. These are really great pedals

   These are really great pedals. I have a set on my cyclocross and winter/touring bikes. If you have the budget they are a nice upgrade to M580/40s. Lighter, more serviceable and with a larger platform for power transfer.

Comments are closed.

Latest Comments

hawkinspeter 9 minutes ago

Shame on you!

in: “It’s lighter without grease”: Cyclist who pressure washes bike after every ride divides opinion — but is it really that bad for your bearings? + more on the live blog hawkinspeter 14 minutes ago

An "accident" would be something unpredictable like a falling tree hitting you. Losing control due to lack of experience (i.e. new driver) and excessive speed is predictable and not an accident. Calling it an "accident" is an attempt to trivialise the tragedy caused by this driver and is showing utter disrespect to his friends and family.

in: “My wife’s death should act as warning to drivers”: Widower of cyclist killed by new motorist “driving too fast” a month after passing his test insists lack of prison sentence “sends wrong message” Surreyrider 29 minutes ago

I don't think you understand speed limits.

in: “My wife’s death should act as warning to drivers”: Widower of cyclist killed by new motorist “driving too fast” a month after passing his test insists lack of prison sentence “sends wrong message” Surreyrider 41 minutes ago

Sky will add it for £31 a month - no discounts. However, you can sign up monthly. Reluctantly, I may be doing so from March to the end of the Tour.

in: Loss of ITV Tour de France coverage “a shame” before UK Grand Départ, says TNT Sports pundit wtjs 2 hours ago

Just to see if things are working, I'll say that I've never washed my gravel bike since it arrived in October 2019. I leave that job to the rain.

in: “It’s lighter without grease”: Cyclist who pressure washes bike after every ride divides opinion — but is it really that bad for your bearings? + more on the live blog chrisonabike 3 hours ago

I think what this shows mostly is that people asked about something they haven't even thought about (cycling as transport) may not give insightful answers as to why they don't. "Because that's not how you get around" / "I've a car outside" / "nobody else does" might be the honest results of introspection. Bit like asking people why they ride where cycling *is* normal eg. NL - that also won't necessarily reveal details of transport policy, zoning or infra design that makes this happen either, it'll be "I like cycling" or "I cycle with my friends" or "it's convenient". I wonder how many of those who said they don't have a bike actually have several rusting in a garage / shed / on a balcony?

in: “Wake-up call”: New Shimano report claims UK and Ireland have lowest bike ownership rates in Europe mdavidford 4 hours ago

The rest I can live with, but "2 like" is egregious.

in: “It’s lighter without grease”: Cyclist who pressure washes bike after every ride divides opinion — but is it really that bad for your bearings? + more on the live blog mdavidford 4 hours ago

I preferred them when they were press fit?

in: “It’s lighter without grease”: Cyclist who pressure washes bike after every ride divides opinion — but is it really that bad for your bearings? + more on the live blog mdavidford 4 hours ago

"Shimano’s State of the Nation report" on, er, UK and Ireland... That's... bold.

in: “Wake-up call”: New Shimano report claims UK and Ireland have lowest bike ownership rates in Europe Shake 4 hours ago

Insert Starship Troopers meme https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.redd.it%2Finsert-starship-troopers-meme-v0-d5vdxg018q1c1.jpg%3Fwidth%3D680%26format%3Dpjpg%26auto%3Dwebp%26s%3Dba1d078963d715adc91ed569ea1386f16f7078f0

in: “Wake-up call”: New Shimano report claims UK and Ireland have lowest bike ownership rates in Europe

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